Description: From satellite"enabled radio and TV to climate tracking, space has become a "ubiquitous capability in our lifetime," as Edward Crawley puts it. But he also notes there is uncertainty about the future of U.S. spaceflight, which closely follows the "cadence" of political elections. Symposium panelists both predict and suggest directions the nation's public and private space programs might take.

As a child, keynote speaker Maria Zuber "wrote long letters to the Apollo astronauts," and her early enthusiasm never waned. A geophysicist involved in missions investigating distant worlds, Zuber's take on space exploration is both pragmatic and adventurous. She seeks "an achievable future in space," with an exploration program that is "reality based." She advocates a "bold, diverse agenda" that includes extended use of the International Space Station for conducting science on human physiology and behavior; exploring the impact of the sun on Earth climate and space weather; gathering data on the constitution of the universe; detailed characterization of terrestrial planets; a renewed commitment to Earth observation (we have better data on Mars' ice caps than on our own); and seeking extra"terrestrial life.

This ambitious portfolio means we may send humans to space for "objectives that are worth the risk." NASA should mix big and small missions, remembering that it's "crucial to inspire and train the next generation." Ultimately, says Zuber, "It's great to be a dreamer, but the only good space mission is one that really works, and is practical and implementable."

NASA scientist James Garvin describes his agency's plans to pursue the legacy of Apollo, by developing new capabilities to carry people into space, and supporting significant research, such as tracking carbon in Earth's atmosphere and oceans. Says Garvin, "Somewhere there is a sweet spot between robotic spaceflight that does grand science ... and human spaceflight that enables those" missions.

The private space industry will play an increasing role in fulfilling the spaceflight dreams of ordinary people, believes Richard Garriott, one of the few lucky citizens to take the ride (via a Soyuz craft). He cites the surge in space plane companies, which may ultimately make spaceflight routine. While there's "a reasonable probability there will be fatalities," Garriott accepts the risks. "Ultimately only by democratizing access to space, by having multiple vendors competing to keep the price down, and safety up, will we ultimately find the best access to space."

To engage American youth in space exploration, Erika Wagner says we "need to take back the storyline and discuss challenging things." 18"24 year olds are not captivated by the Apollo mission to the moon, and to inspire them about the future, they need to understand we "go to space because it's a difficult thing." To get this point across means using social media such as Flickr and YouTube, as well as flying students into space. "It's time for space exploration to become interactive again."

Commercial space ventures, built on a series of incremental improvements, have become a phenomenally successful industry in the last 40 years, says David Thompson. Customers spend between $15"25 per month on such products and services as direct broadcast TV and handheld satellite navigators. This dwarfs the per capita expenditure on government space exploration or defense activities. Thompson looks for more of an intersection between the well"financed commercial, and needier public, sectors of space enterprise, with anticipated benefits for both.

The problem is not how we build space vehicles, "but how we procure them," states James Crocker. Purchasing and launching such expensive devices one at a time continues to inhibit capability. Crocker's company, Lockheed, is trying to economize through smarter software, weight" and volume"reduction of space"bound technology, and reuse of expensive parts (including some avionics in NASA's new Ares rocket). He hopes that innovative ways to bring down costs "while not as cheap as flying from here to Europe on an airliner," might get to the point where "we can do more with the dollars the public is willing to spend."

About the Speaker(s): Edward Crawley is also the director of the Bernard M. Gordon _ MIT Engineering Leadership Program. His research focuses on the domain of architecture, design, and decision support in complex technical systems. He is currently engaged with NASA on the design of its lunar and Earth observing systems, and with BP on oil exploration system designs. Crawley is a former head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and was a finalist in the NASA astronaut selection in 1980. He received an S.B. (1976) and an S.M. (1978) in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and an Sc.D. (1981) in Aerospace Structures from MIT.
Crawley is a Fellow of the AIAA and the Royal Aeronautical Society (UK), and is a member of three national academies of engineering: the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Science, the (UK) Royal Academy of Engineering, and the US National Academy of Engineering. He was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa by Chalmers University, Sweden in 2006.

Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Description: It's no exaggeration to say John Holdren's job involves tackling the most critical issues of our age: economic recovery and growth, health care, energy, climate change, global pandemics, national security, ecosystem preservationthe list goes on. As President Obama's science and technology advisor, Holdren leverages the resources and collective acumen of the nation's researchers and innovators to address these complex and urgent matters. To an MIT audience, Holdren makes the case that aerospace science, technology and education will provide a "crucial contribution to and driver of many relevant capabilities" the U.S. will need to meet this century's challenges.

He cites in particular the relevance of "nitty"gritty things like infrastructure" in aerospace research and industry -- -- including military and civilian satellites enabling earth observation and tracking for national security purposes or weather forecasting. These technologies engender "spin"offs into other domains of the economy, health care and the environment." In addition, the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station are inspiring students to pursue science and engineering. Holdren hopes these young researchers will eventually pave the way to clean energy and a revitalized economy.

President Obama has put science and technology "front and center," and these priorities are reflected in a budget that provides big boosts for science, and also for transportation infrastructure and applied energy technologies. Government agencies are trying to resolve the "budget"vision disparity" in the space program; air traffic control problems resulting from the steady expansion of civil air traffic; and the problem of greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy of aircraft. But Holdren worries about maintaining the administration's ambitious space and aeronautics agenda, in the face of ballooning government programs, and ongoing military commitments. Aviation and space communities must work together across government, industry and academic sectors to overcome these obstacles -- "a giant leap requiring giant partnerships."
A group of aerospace leaders respond to Holdren's talk. Michael Bair notes that the aviation industry is growing faster than GDP, but challenged by "an awful business model" and an expanding carbon footprint. He sees hope in fuel efficiency improvements, especially biofuels, and new air traffic policies.

David Danielson believes young entrepreneurs, inspired by 9/11, the economic crisis, and the 90's internet boom, will rally to transform our energy economy, with the help of new policies and funding, a firm embrace of "thinking big," and an acceptance that "it's OK to fail."

Seeking a less polluting hydrocarbon to power his airplanes, Alan Epstein needs a big infusion of capital from the financial community to help attract biofuel producers to aviation, and looks to places like MIT for "ingenuity and invention" to make biofuels a practical, cost"effective reality.

A key lesson learned in kindergarten -- 'tell the truth' -- will serve the aerospace community well, counsels Lourdes Q. Maurice. This means admitting "tradeoffs between noise and emissions," for instance. She also argues for inclusivity among decision"makers around energy and environment issues, and decisions informed by science.

About the Speaker(s): John P. Holdren, President Obama's "Science Czar," previously served as Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy and Director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, as well as professor in Harvard's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Director of the independent, nonprofit Woods Hole Research Center. From 1973 to 1996 he was on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, where he co"founded and co"led the interdisciplinary graduate"degree program in energy and resources.

Holdren holds advanced degrees in aerospace engineering and theoretical plasma physics from MIT and Stanford and has specialized in energy technology and policy, global climate change, and nuclear arms control and nonproliferation. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as foreign member of the Royal Society of London. A former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, his awards include a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship, the John Heinz Prize in Public Policy, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and the Volvo Environment Prize. He served from 1991 until 2005 as a member of the MacArthur Foundation's board of trustees.Ian A. Waitz also serves as the Director of the Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction (PARTNER), an FAA/NASA/Transport Canada"sponsored Center of Excellence. His principal areas of interest are the modeling and evaluation of climate, local air quality and noise impacts of aviation.

Waitz has written approximately 75 technical publications, including a report to the U.S. Congress on aviation and the environment. He holds three patents and has consulted for many organizations. During 2002"2005 he was Deputy Head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has also served as an associate editor of the AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power. In 2003, Waitz received a NASA Turning Goals Into Reality Award for Noise Reduction. He was awarded the FAA 2007 Excellence in Aviation Research Award. He is a Fellow of the AIAA, and an ASME and ASEE member. He was honored with the 2002 MIT Class of 1960 Innovation in Education Award and appointment as an MIT MacVicar Faculty Fellow in 2003.

Waitz received his B.S. in 1986 from the Pennsylvania State University; his M.S. in 1988, from George Washington University; and his Ph.D.in 1991, from the California Institute of Technology.

Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Description: In this first of three symposium events to mark the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, an extraordinary cast of luminaries recount the parts they played in the Apollo program, and celebrate MIT's unique role in getting humans to the moon.

Theodore Sorensen believes President Kennedy chose him to oversee the U.S. response to the Soviet's first space flight because he was "a skeptic a Unitarian raised asking questions." The U.S. space program had been lagging, "a joke with late night TV comics," so the Kennedy administration figured only the "the drama of a moon landing" would spur an improved space effort. When Kennedy announced the plan to Congress, the reaction was "stunned disbelief," so he deviated from the official text, reminding congressmen that "all of us will be on that trip to the moon." Today, Kennedy would be disturbed by the militarization of space, Sorensen believes. The next great scientific breakthrough Sorensen would like to see involves "the abolition of weapons of mass destruction."

Richard Battin describes the work of MIT's Instrumentation Laboratory, headed by Charles "Doc" Draper, to develop a Mars probe in 1957 following the Sputnik launch. The device had solar panels, a thruster, an attitude control system with gyros, and an onboard digital computer designed to survive a three"year roundtrip to Mars. NASA declined to support the entire project, but liked the computer. In 1961, NASA chief Jim Webb asked his good friend "Doc" Draper to develop guidance navigation and control for Apollo. Battin believes this relationship, and the need for a functioning onboard navigation system (in case the Soviets jammed communication links from Earth) landed MIT the contract.

Aaron Cohen remembers how rocket scientist Wernher Von Braun was puzzled by Cohen's Apollo assignment, which was "to define and resolve interfaces between all elements of the Apollo program." He also describes the tragic fire on the launch pad in January 1967, which killed three crewmembers. This episode triggered months of self"examination, leading to a safer command service module, and a series of reliable flights leading to the moon landing. "When I look back on Apollo 11, I go through each subsystem and marvel at how we managed to form the mission."

Joseph Gavin, Jr. started as a graduate student in "Doc" Draper's lab, but ended up leading the development of the lunar module, which "worked every time. I'll say that again. It worked every time." His long association with the program left him with some insights: there's no such thing as random failure; one should take absolutely nothing for granted; and do not change anything that works. He recalls NASA bugging him about overtime, but the young men working for him were under great pressure, so Gavin pushed back, allowing "group leaders to take care of their people."

Harrison "Jack" Schmitt takes the audience through the history of the Apollo program, including his own historic trip to the moon. "That's not bad, leaving footprints in the sands of time for a million, might be two million years." He believes the keys to the mission's success included having a sufficient base of technology and a reservoir of young engineers and skilled workers; the "pervasive environment of national unease" due to the Cold War, Sputnik and the missile gap; a persuasive president who unleashed adequate funding; and "tough, competent and disciplined management to let people do their jobs."

In flight control, says Christopher Kraft, Jr., "you have to fly what you've got. There's not time to stop and fix something." This legend of the early days of space flight recalls chimpanzee testing and concerns about human adaptation to zero gravity. When Kennedy announced the moon mission, "I thought he'd lost his mind." As flight director, Kraft suddenly "had to come up with the orbital mechanics of going back and forth to the moon. That to me was a hell of a challenge." Kraft witnessed the entire nation get behind the Apollo effort, which convinced him "we could do anything we set our mind to in this country, if we know what we want to do, where we want to go and have the commitment to get it done."

About the Speaker(s): Jeffrey Hoffman is an astrophysicist and a veteran of five space missions. He was the first astronaut to log 1000 hours aboard the Space Shuttle. During his fourth flight, he was one of four crew members who captured the Hubble Space Telescope, serviced it, and restored it to full capacity. He is engaged in several research projects using the International Space Station and teaches courses on space operations and design.

Prior to joining NASA, Hoffman was a scientist with the MIT Center for Space Research in charge of the orbiting HEAO"1 A4 hard x"ray and gamma ray experiment. He is currently the Director of the Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium.

Hoffman earned his B.A. at Amherst College, an M.S. from Rice University and his Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics